The six-cylinder gang

The 1979 and 80 CBX and 2013 CB1100 share the same factory color "Candy Glory Red" but that's about it ( and I've owned them both- the CB1100 handles and brakes better, has fuel injection, but the CBX otherwise is a superior machine. And has a MUCH better exhaust note, is much more collectible and sexy.
 
Great bikes!
 
Thread starter
736cc_imp said:
The 1979 and 80 CBX and 2013 CB1100 share the same factory color "Candy Glory Red" but that's about it ( and I've owned them both- the CB1100 handles and brakes better, has fuel injection, but the CBX otherwise is a superior machine. And has a MUCH better exhaust note, is much more collectible and sexy.
I sorta always wanted a CBX, and could have purchased a brand-new touring model with full fairing and bags during the "leftover" days of the late 1980s for less than $3000 out the door, about half-price. I just couldn't see the practicality of it.

Owning the CB1100 gives me everything I was looking for and more.:thumbsup:
 
I love the sound of a six. Had a test ride on the Kawasaki six when it was first introduced and Egan's take is spot on. Like a big, silky-smooth tractor. Wish I had one of each.
 
Six carbs to synchronize and 24 shims to adjust. I've always loved the look and sound of the CBX but don't think I could live with it.
 
LongRanger_imp said:
Six carbs to synchronize and 24 shims to adjust. I've always loved the look and sound of the CBX but don't think I could live with it.
Actually, one of my fav detail of owning a CBX was working on it. The parts were equisit and akin to undressing a sexy woman...peeking under the valve cover at all those valves was one of life's great pleasures. And they respond to a fine valve adjustment and carb tune like no other motorcycle. A correctly tuned CBX at 500 rpm idle is as smooth and quiet as a sewing machine in a padded room.
 
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736cc_imp said:
LongRanger_imp said:
Six carbs to synchronize and 24 shims to adjust. I've always loved the look and sound of the CBX but don't think I could live with it.
Actually, one of my fav detail of owning a CBX was working on it. The parts were equisit and akin to undressing a sexy woman...peeking under the valve cover at all those valves was one of life's great pleasures. And they respond to a fine valve adjustment and carb tune like no other motorcycle. A correctly tuned CBX at 500 rpm idle is as smooth and quiet as a sewing machine in a padded room.
Actually, one of my fav detail of owning a CBX was working on it. The parts were equisit and akin to undressing a sexy woman...peeking under the valve cover at all those valves was one of life's great pleasures. And they respond to a fine valve adjustment and carb tune like no other motorcycle. A correctly tuned CBX at 500 rpm idle is as smooth and quiet as a sewing machine in a padded room. So I have heard. And some would suggest that indicates a complete lack of character.:rofl:
 
Anybody that thinks a CBX has a lack of character must have not been fortunate enough to have experienced up close the sexiest motorcycle ever. That 6 cylinder was a masterpiece of an engine. You own a Harley?
 
Thread starter
736cc_imp said:
Anybody that thinks a CBX has a lack of character must have not been fortunate enough to have experienced up close the sexiest motorcycle ever. That 6 cylinder was a masterpiece of an engine. You own a Harley?
Here you are lauding, rightly so, the elegant character of the CBX at idle, due to a deep appreciation of fine engineering over other, more audible attributes.

I heard the test was to put a dime on the valve cover and if it did not vibrate off, you had gotten everything just right.

Some would search for a China cup with a bulldozer, no?
 
But they are so rare!

I almost bought a CBX during the massive markdown of the mid 80s but I was an ICBM missile launch officer and the base commander forbid us to ride bikes. I had to sell all my bikes when I was transferred to the base.

To this day it breaks my heart I do not have one but the CB1100 is a close second


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I owned more than 20 CBX 1000 during the Last ten years. The end of my CBX Story was a Egli CBX 1000 Red Baron. Expensive and nice to look for but diffizile to Drive. I sold and bought the 1100EX.


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StefanS_imp said:
I owned more than 20 CBX 1000 during the Last ten years. The end of my CBX Story was a Egli CBX 1000 Red Baron. Expensive and nice to look for but diffizile to Drive. I sold and bought the 1100EX.


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Very nice! Yes I would agree, by modern standards that bike requires quite a bit of maintenance, just synchronizing the carbs would be a job of work.

However, until I came across that article, I never realized my interest in the CB1100 had been inspired by the CBX, not the CB750. I was never interested in the CB750 on any level. I just recall that feeling of smooth torque and acceleration the one time I rode the CBX and thought it was just a neat bike.

We will never see another six-cylinder motorcycle, I think.

How about some pictures of your CBX's?
 
Every goldwing is a 6. BMW makes a 6. Maybe you mean another inline 6 from Honda.
 
Thread starter
The ferret_imp said:
Every goldwing is a 6. BMW makes a 6. Maybe you mean another inline 6 from Honda.
No, I was just wrong on the face of it. But I did in fact mean a 6-cylinder sportbike or racebike like those mentioned in the article and thread, high-performance machinery, as in bikes using more cylinders and higher RPM to get more power.

Someone mentioned the 250cc Honda 6-cyl racebike, that was a screamer. Those were the kinds of bikes to which I referred since the conversation was about sporting machines rather than touring bikes.

In fact I recently met a guy who'd just purchased a BMW K1600GT at a huge discount, it was the nicest bike he'd ever owned in his life. Big torque (129) but HP numbers reasonable, 160. But that's a touring bike.

The article mentioned something similar, that more cylinders won't be the solution to get more power for racebikes.

Modern, counterbalanced Fours and Twins can now deliver almost (but not quite) the same smoothness–with even more performance–but they don’t deliver it with the same class and almost operatic sense of presence. These are orchestral bikes in a world of garage bands. Verdi and Puccini would love to have heard them run.

Me, I'll take the garage band every time.

Oh yeah, and why does he mention only Italian opera, and not German? Moreover, "opera" isn't an apt analogy at all. Opera is hardly ever subtle, it is generally bombastic and often crude.

Darn writers.

I say it ain't over 'till the Fat Lady sings, and these sixes are certainly fat, if not ladylike. But they do sing, no?
 
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